Dead or Alive
by AdaGrace
Summary: [Apocalypse AU] Merlin breathed in the fresh night air and looked around the dark cemetery. He was surrounded by head stones, by the spirits of people long gone.


The building rested atop a small hill, looking out over the town, and Gwen's legs struggled to carry her fast enough to the top. She slowed to a stop and doubled over, her hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath. Up ahead, the other members of her group had reached the small white chapel and were attempting to break the door open. The cemetery seemed serene in the early afternoon sunlight, and for a moment Gwen was certain that nothing had changed at all, that the world hadn't turned bad. It seemed untouched.

'Y'alright, Gwen?' Merlin trudged up to Gwen, a bag of supplies in his hands; tins of food and bottles of water, and a first aid kit they had stolen from the pharmacy. He smiled his dazzling smile and dropped the bag to the ground, wincing as he heard the groans of frustration that came from his new found friends. Shading his eyes from the sun, he smiled even more as he saw Arthur and Morgana engaged in yet another argument, and Gwaine perched atop a large gravestone, silently watching.

'Will they ever learn?' he questioned. Gwen straightened up.

'They'll have too, won't they?' She chuckled, moving forwards, closely followed by Merlin.

'I don't know, _smash_ the bloody thing!' Arthur groaned, frustrated, pointing to the window. He ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair and hobbled towards Gwaine.

'Why do I have to do it?' Morgana questioned.

'Because _you're _the one that wants to get _in_.' he replied, hopping up onto the gravestone. He gave Merlin a steely glare as he approached, his annoyance at him being there clear. The two men had never been friends; in fact they barely knew each other. Merlin had moved into the house next to Arthur's a mere three months ago, and after almost killing Arthur with a bow and arrow in an unfortunate turn of events, they had never really gotten along and it was only a coincidence that they were together now.

The day the world had ended was also Arthur's 21st, so he was down the pub with his family and friends, not that he had many of those of course. He wasn't very liked at his college, had always been seen as arrogant. But his father and his sister had invited their partners, and Morgana's boyfriend Leon had been Arthur's friend since nursery. He'd insisted on paying for all of the drinks, and he and Arthur were at the bar for the fifth time that evening when the first meteor struck. It had started with a bright light. The meteor had struck a neighbouring village and had wiped out most of the population immediately. Arthur had stayed glued to the bar, watching from the window as the village had proceeded to go up in a huge ball of fire. His sister had screamed, and Arthur moved to her, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. That was one of many meteors that struck earth that day. The second arrived three minutes later, landing on what was once Arthur's home. He had been blown backwards by the sheer force of impact, falling unconscious shortly after as his head had struck the bar. When he awoke, he was half-buried under fallen bricks, and it took almost an hour for someone to hear his cries for help. When Merlin's face loomed over him, he didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. The boy looked terrible, though probably not as terrible as himself, and Arthur had watched silently in disbelief as he had pushed the rubble off him in a matter of minutes.

Now, looking at the boy, Arthur could hardly believe that he'd been able to uncover him. He hardly looked strong enough. Arthur shook his head and turned his attention back to Morgana.

'I can hardly do it, can I?' he stated, truthfully. After being crushed under half a ton of brick, Arthur wasn't in good shape. His hand had tensed up almost as soon as he was free, and was yet to unclench, and his right leg was more than definitely broken; sprained at the least. Morgana placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

'I know.'

'So,' Gwaine piped up. 'Lets get this thing open, then.' He jumped to the ground and picked up a large rock that lay at his feet. Gwen watched curiously from the sidelines as he struggled to lift it above his head and then launch it towards the chapel window. Gwaine fell backwards as the window smashed, covering him with broken bits of glass.

'Idiot.' Arthur chided, with a grin.

The inside of the chapel was dark and dusty. The pews were covered in a thick layer of dust, the floor wasn't much better. At the far end of the room, a large stone bowl lay filled with holy water, and above it hung a human-sized, stone statue of Jesus that glared down at the group as the wandered further into his home. Arthur stayed in the doorway, glancing around nervously as Merlin moved to sit on one of the pews. Gwen sat next to him, bowing her head in prayer. The chapel remained silent for almost ten minutes.

'You're suggesting we go back _out _there?!' Gwaine paced the floor of the chapel, moving between the dust-covered pews. He clenched his fists tightly, dropping his eyes to the floor and muttering to himself worriedly.

'All I'm saying,' Morgana spoke up from her place in the corner of the room. 'Is that _maybe _we should go for help.' Gwaine shook his head in disbelief.

'Oh, come on! Who do you expect to find? This place is deserted; there are no houses for at least twenty miles-'

'Yes, Gwaine, I'm aware of that, but…'

'We have to try.' Gwen's small voice went almost unheard, as she walked towards her best friend. Giving Morgana a small smile, she turned to the room.

'You guys agree, right?' she asked the others. At the foot of the statue, Arthur scoffed and dropped his head to his knees. His blonde hair was matted, and stuck to his forehead with sweat and mud. It had been days since he'd had a shower. Freya stood in the doorway, her brown hair hanging in front of her eyes.

'I do.' She stated, nodding her head.

'Good, thank you.' Gwen smiled, now turning her attention the boys. 'Arthur?'

'At this point, I don't really care.' He said, his voice muffled by his knees. Beside him, Merlin frowned.

'Well, I think it's a great idea.' He said, looking to Morgana.

'_You _would.' Arthur mumbled.

'Alright, then,' Morgana said, rather cheerfully. 'That's four against one. We leave at sunrise.'

Merlin breathed in the fresh night air and looked around the dark cemetery. He was surrounded by head stones, by the spirits of people long gone. The idea of it scared him. Walking along the stone path, he took in the smells of the pine trees and the grass, he heard the swishing of the leaves in the wind. But he also heard the silence of the world; there were no running engines and the birds no longer sang. He bowed his head, remembering the world as it had been, and almost fell to the ground when he walked into Arthur. The man sat, cross-legged and silent, staring back at the small country chapel that seemed so haunting in the moonlight. His hands dug firmly into the ground, digging up mud and roots.

'Arthur?' The man did not react to Merlin's voice. 'You alright?' Merlin looked up at the starry sky, his brows furrowed. 'Only, you haven't really said a word since we got here, and that's just not like you at all. I mean, you _never_ shut up, especially not when you we-'

'Shut up, Merlin.' Arthur's voice sounded fragile and weak, and Merlin took a seat on the ground beside him.

'Sorry. I'm just... concerned.' Arthur sighed, quietly.

'About _what_?' he asked, confused. He watched the flickering light of the candle that stood in the small, broken window of the chapel. It held him in almost a trance, and it had been doing so for at least fifteen minutes now. At first he'd found the silence of the world relaxing, but after a minute or two his level of nervousness had shot up. It hadn't lasted long, though, and now his mind had gone blank. He felt no feelings and he could barely feel the small spots of rain that smashed against his bare arms.

'About… about you.' Merlin picked a strand of grass from his jeans, awaiting a response. The wind had picked up considerably, enough to cause the chapel's unstable roof to creak, and he couldn't help but wonder how Arthur couldn't feel it; the man was wearing nothing but a t-shirt, after all.

'You shouldn't. I'm not worth worrying about.'

'Of course you are,' Merlin turned to look at his friend. 'Anyway, I- I can't help it. I'm a worrier, it's what I do.' He says with a small smile. 'You are alright, though?' Arthur turned to look at Merlin, his blue eyes tinged with sadness and fear, and he nodded his head.

'I'm fine.'

'If you two have finished making out, there's food in here.' Morgana's voice came from the darkness of the doorway, and Merlin's cheeks reddened as he turned to look at her. She leaned against the doorframe, her arms folded across her chest.

'Food?'

'Yes. Food. And if I were you, I'd hurry up, it'll be gone soon.' Arthur lifts his gaze from Merlin and moves it to his sister.

'How are they?' he questions.

'They're doing okay. At least, Gwaine is. He's fast sleep actually.'

'And Gwen?'

'Well, uh. She's praying, actually. Has been for a while now.' Morgana looks at her feet.

'Oh.' Arthur looked out into the pitch black forest that surrounded them. Morgana turned, her hand placed firmly on the doorframe. Looking over her shoulder at Arthur with tired eyes, she lowered her head, opening her mouth to talk and then slowly closing it again.

'She's praying for _you_.' She states, dropping her hand to her side and leaving the room. Arthur sat in an awkward silence, his eyes roaming calmly around the dark, misty graveyard. He looked to the clump of dirt that he held in his hands, clearing his throat quietly. Beside him, Merlin's gaze lay fixed on the statue that hung above the door to the chapel. It was a morbid looking thing, made of dark cracked stone. Its eyes bore into Merlin, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. He glanced to Arthur.

'Do you ever do it?' Merlin asks, nodding to the statue. 'Pray, I mean.' The graveyard was silent for a moment or two as Arthur pondered his reply.

'If I still had my faith, I guess I _would_. Bit I lost all hope when I found my neighbour and her baby disembowelled in their home.' Arthur lifted a hand and covered his weary eyes, bowing his head for a moment of silence. Merlin looked around the deserted church, scratching nervously at his leg. Then he turned and looked at Arthur.

'I'm so sorry to hear that.' He says, in almost a whisper.


End file.
